In a rap underground filled with larger-than-life neo-noir capos and bruised anti-heroes cut from the cloth of Roc Marciano and Ka, a rapper like CRIMEAPPLE stands out from the pack. The Colombian-born, Hackensack, New Jersey-raised MC isn’t as outrageous as Westside Gunn or Action Bronson, but his references and frequent jumps between rapping in Spanish and English give his bars a more subdued grace. He’s not above the occasional showy display—he once compared his wallet to the chunky figures painted by artist Fernando Botero—but he takes more pride in direct flexes when he’s not focusing on the struggles that led to the riches.
In the opening seconds of “El Léon”—the title track of his collaborative album with producer Preservation—he relishes traveling often enough for custom agents to recognize him. But amid the talk of swapping Jaguars at the dealership and coming from the dirt, the simplest boast hits the hardest: “Lil’ homie, I own shit.” Throughout El Léon, bittersweet anecdotes like these are matched with tawny sample loops that have the worldly poise of a high-end travel show.
For his part, Preservation rises to a different challenge while working with CRIMEAPPLE. Most of the beats the New York-based producer has created since 2015’s Days with Dr. Yen Lo have put a minimalist spin on the gritty New York sound. But as opposed to his 2020 Eastern Medicine, Western Illness and 2022’s billy woods teamup Aethiopes, El Léon keeps things a bit more traditional. Strange, off-kilter samples—from guitar twangs and sour horn fills to merengue rhythms—are folded into more rigid shapes that suit CRIMEAPPLE’s generally less adventurous flows. Songs like “Don’t Mention It” and “Vida Mantequilla” march closer in line with his work on Yasiin Bey’s The Ecstatic or as a member of the rap quartet Sonic Sum. Even the more outrê stuff—the pitter-patter drums and organs on “Paw Prints in the Sand” or the tambourine and deep piano stabs that power lead single “Hunting Methods”—splits the difference between Black Sunday-era Cypress Hill and the hotboxing expansiveness of his most recent work. Preservation sacrifices a bit of his eccentricity to meet CRIMEAPPLE at his more mellow level, but it’s a worthy tradeoff.
CRIMEAPPLE may not be the flashiest rapper, but his technique and perspective keep his bars sharp. He often plays close to the rhythm of the beat but will occasionally speed his tempo up, especially when he switches between languages. This happens several times on the title track, where threats, slang, and stories of “spending purple paper” are smushed into compact bars. His opening quotables can also be as unpredictable as his language-switching. On “Vida Mantequilla,” he whispers “I’ve never had a White Claw in my life,” ethering the alcoholic seltzer before joking about a date who was built like a Nachos BellGrande from Taco Bell. Without an over-the-top voice or personality, the color in his writing pops more, like the side character in a movie who’s later revealed to be the villain. Even at their most boisterous, Pres’ beats keep things lively without overwhelming CRIMEAPPLE’s presence—he sounds comfortable sifting through the blaring horns on “Don’t Mention It” and the shrieking violin streaks on “Melena Dorada.”
Comfort is a crucial part of the appeal of El Léon. Neither CRIMEAPPLE nor Pres push each other to new heights, and CRIMEAPPLE’s talk of spoils and cigarillos with Exxon Valdez-levels of gas are a snug fit. But things get a bit deeper on the closing tracks “Quanto Te Quiero” and “Bulevar.” Here, CRIMEAPPLE pulls the New Era and hoodie back completely, delving into his relationship with his mother and overcoming the “rent-controlled living” of his youth. He’s as tender and thoughtful when thinking about how his mother raised him and his three siblings on a shoestring budget as he is when he’s counting his blessings after a life of bristling at his father’s drug habit. Combined with Preservation’s mournful mood music, it’s a somber note to end the album on. But El Léon is allegedly the first part in a trilogy of albums coming from the duo this year, a hefty cosign from Preservation that CRIMEAPPLE earns. If this is the start, consider these kindred spirits warmed up.
